[Aditya]

Hero Electric has launched the Photon, a new scooter in India at a price of Rs. 54,110 (ex-showroom, Delhi).

The Photon is available in three body colours - Vivid Burgundy, Vanilla White and Velvet Black. It has a steel chassis and looks like a conventional scooter with a round headlamp, indicators on the apron and telescopic fork front suspension. The bike has 10-inch wheels and a disc and drum brake at the front and rear respectively.

The Photon is powered by a 1500 W waterproof, brushless, DC motor with two drive modes - power and economy. Hero Electric claims that it can achieve a top speed of 45 kph and has a range of 50 km / charge or 80 km / charge in the power and economy modes respectively.

The Photon is installed with a VRLA battery and comes with a multi-stage charger with in-built memory, which regulates the charge based on the battery condition. It also has a miniature circuit breaker and battery charge conservation during long storage along with a fire-resistant wiring harness for safety.

Hero Electric dealers are offering finance on the Photon for 8 months to their customers. Additional offers by the company include, easy Battery EMI scheme within 24 months of purchase through the 'Super Saver Battery Scheme'.

Unlike some other electric two-wheelers, the Photon requires a registration to be operated. Its rider is required to possess a licence.

[ani_meher]

Any electric scooter that goes above 25kmph or has battery above 800( IIRC ) must be registered and insured, and ridden with proper license only.

The scooter looks nice and well designed. However, a warning to anyone considering this scooter: Make sure you are ready for almost zero resale value, sure shot struggle when your rear tyre punctures and NO ONE wants to touch a tyre with an electric connection, and you must rely on Hero Service centers only, as no other garage will touch the scooter for minute problems even.

An activa/access is any day better than any electric-only vehicle. Trust me, I had purchased a Yo Speed costing similar to Activa that time. It served me well for 1.5 years for about 10-15k km. Then once the problems started surfacing, boy was that a frustrating period in my life. Countless calls to the SC, taking the bike in tempo to the service station numerous times, each puncture taking hours as I had to tell how to proceed to the scared puncture walla. Finally replaced it (got peanuts for resale) with an Aviator, and I am a happy guy for last 3 years and more than 20k kms.

[arnabchak]

Liked the looks and is sort of the retro theme that is popular now, thanks to the Vespa!!

Does not look like a cheap e bike and with Hero backing, should find servicing easy.

However, the 54K is a very steep price tag and may drive away prospective buyers to the Activas/Dios/Pleasure and the likes.

Originally Posted by ani_meher

sure shot struggle when your rear tyre punctures and NO ONE wants to touch a tyre with an electric connection, and you must rely on Hero Service centers only, as no other garage will touch the scooter for minute problems even.

In case of a yobike, it was probably a hub motor and thats why changing the tyre needed playing with the electrical. Take a vehicle with a motor like any scooter and that problem vanishes. Also changing the tyres with tubeless goes a long way.

I don't think you should compare a yobike to a 1500W scooter just because both are electric.

[ani_meher]

the-mechanic: I am not comparing them 'just because both are electric'. Mine was a 750W Yo Speed, not the 250W Yobike. It too was RTO registered and insured. (My above comment stands corrected, I think above 500W scooters need to be registered).

It's easier said than done for those who have not faced the problems first hand. I have personally experienced the initial happiness of driving the electric bike almost free of cost, and then faced the infinite frustration of getting it repaired and finally getting rid of it. If one is electrically keen and know what's going inside the scooter, then he can venture in such technologies. But for person like me who prefers reliability above anything else, this is a strict no-no, especially at such price when you can easily get a petrol scooter with much better resale and serviceability.

I wish someone told me this when I first bought that electric scooter, and hence sharing my experience for the next person.

Originally Posted by ani_meher

I wish someone told me this when I first bought that electric scooter, and hence sharing my experience for the next person.

, not everyone wants to venture into electric so easily. Looking for reliability is a strong point, which the companies need to focus into. Regarding the problems you had with the YoSpeed, it would be helpful if you could start a thread about it or probably post it in a relevant thread. And in case you already have, kindly link me to it.

It's good that you are trying to let people know of things they would only realise three-four months down the line and suffer then. I am working on an electric vehicle myself and your inputs would help me better my vehicle. Thanks!

[Hrishi_111]

It's an interesting move by Hero Motors to enter into electric scooter segment.

All electric scooters launched so far were bare basic and lacked support from their manufacturers. This launch might take the game ahead in a different territory where other conventional two wheeler manufacturers can think of entering as well.

From an end user's perspective, 'reliability' and 'hassle-free nature of the vehicle' are two major factors while buying a scooter, and in many cases they could take precedence over the 'economy' or 'type of fuel' the vehicle runs on'.

We shall keep our fingers crossed to see how 'Photon' proves itself on these parameters.

[msharma_79]

Hi, I have come across this unique feature by Hero Electric where the rear wheel can be taken out easily by just detaching a simple couplar. I believe this is can sort out the puncture problem. will find more about it and update you guys.

[anandpadhye]

How easy is it to take out the battery? Can I take it out every night and charge it at home?

[ani_meher]

No. Batteries are usually quiet heavy, and form max weight of the bike. They are not easily removable and neither are they meant to be removed frequently. The electric scooter charges just like a mobile, there is a normal 3 pin socket that goes into regular electric supply. It takes about 5-6 hours, generally overnight charging to fully charge it.

Such vehicles are best suited for people with a connection in parking/bungalow living persons. For a person living in a flat, having no direct supervision or control over the parking, it is a difficult task to charge it.

[S_U_N]

I am unable to find any reviews of this bike. Is no one buying them yet? It is now almost a year old news.

[skdking]

Originally Posted by ani_meher

No. Batteries are usually quiet heavy, and form max weight of the bike. They are not easily removable and neither are they meant to be removed frequently. The electric scooter charges just like a mobile, there is a normal 3 pin socket that goes into regular electric supply. It takes about 5-6 hours, generally overnight charging to fully charge it.

Such vehicles are best suited for people with a connection in parking/bungalow living persons. For a person living in a flat, having no direct supervision or control over the parking, it is a difficult task to charge it.

Hello there,

What is the average life of the battery pack?

[Rajeevraj]

Hero has launched the new Hero Electric E-Sprint Scooter at a price of 54090 (Ex Showroom Delhi). A different design and a slightly less powerful version of the Photon that is described in this thread. Other than that pretty much the same specifications as the Photon.

While the Photon is said to be targeted towards the 'Modern Youth' the E-Sprint is targeted towards 'Targeted at students, working women, professionals and senior citizens'.

The salient features of the E-Sprint include 48 V/33 Ah battery pack, multi-stage float and boost IC charger, an 800 W motor with peak power output of 1200 W (as opposed to 100 W motor with peak power of 1500W for the Photon), gradeability of 7 deg, 10-inch wheels, puncture resistant tube (optional), anti-skid brakes, telescopic fork upfront, 150 mm of ground clearance, 106 kg of kerb weight, PC head lamp, anti-theft alarm, and a mobile charger.

I had explored the feasibility of buying an electric scooter couple of years back. But it seems to be too expensive for what it offers. For 56 K I can buy any one of the regular scooters.

Source: IAB